Rayman Junior (also known as Rayman Brain Games in the United States, כיף ללמוד עם ריימן in Israel, Rayman Uczy Matmy i Polaka in Poland and Maths & English with Rayman in other regions) is an educational video game based on the original Rayman that was designed to teach children aged 6-8 years old the basics of mathematics and literacy. Many variations of the game are known to have been released for MS-DOS starting from 1996, with the Sony PlayStation version being released in 2000.

Contents

Gameplay

The gameplay in Rayman Junior is somewhat simplified specially for the young player. The number of levels in the game has been reduced to just twelve, two per world, and each one covers an educational topic, such as phonics, adding and subtracting, number recognition etc. The questions asked come in three difficulties, which may or may not be selectable depending on the version.

Each level starts with the Magician giving Rayman an overview on what he has to do. Then the player will see the Magician's hat at various points of the level where he asks the player a question when you walk past it. The player then has three paths to choose from, the right path being the right answer to the question. A life is lost if the wrong path is taken. After the level is completed, the player is then sent to a bonus stage and given a time limit in which he or she must complete whatever challenge the Magician has now set for him or her. Once all of these levels are cleared, Rayman can then have access to Mr Dark's hideout.

The game contains a new world map, and, separately from the main levels, there is an extra one called Betilla's Garden, which the player may use to practice. This is the first time in which Betilla the Fairy speaks English. It also has a new title theme, and the level music is extended.

Other names in different regions

Rayman Junior is known as Rayman Brain Games in the USA. The UK version has three difficulty levels split across three separate games. Rayman Brain Games has all the difficulty levels in one game.
The US release Amazing Learning Games with Rayman, known as Maths and English with Rayman in the UK, has all three difficulty levels on a single game. Maths and English with Rayman just separates them into three games like Rayman Junior. The difficulty levels indicate the volume number, for instance Volume 1 is level 1 and so on. However, Ubisoft re-released Amazing Learning Games with Rayman as Rayman Learning Center in the "Rayman Junior Setup", Vol. 1-3.
The Israeli release, כיף ללמוד עם ריימן ('Kef Lilmod Im Rayman', which means 'fun to learn with Rayman'), by Hed-Arzi (a big Israeli multimedia products importer and disributor) was the first release of Rayman that was fully translated to Hebrew (Interface and Dubbing).

Glitches

1. When the demos play in Rayman Brain Games, they don't play Rayman's 2D theme music, but in Amazing Learning Games with Rayman and Rayman Junior, it does play.

3. In Rayman Junior, Amazing Learning Games with Rayman and Rayman Brain Games, the music for Tasty Chase is heard in Mr Dark's Lair. The music that is really supposed to be playing on this level is that from the menu of the original Rayman.

4. In Rayman Brain Games, when Rayman is facing to the right, his eyes look enlarged. Strangely, when he is facing to the left, the eyes return to their original size.

5. In Rayman Brain Games, there's a glitch that causes life statues to not appear at all in the game.

Plot

“Happiness abounds in Rayman's World. The sun shines brightly, the plants are green and the clear water of the river bubbles and sings merrily as it flows.

Deep in the forest, the Wizard's cottage is peaceful and sheltered. There, he and Betilla the Fairy spend time enjoying their idyllic world and protecting the Wizard's Magic Book of Knowledge. The Wizard, a very scholarly and philosophical person, has put all the secrets of wisdom and knowledge in this book; the secrets that keep the world happy and beautiful.

Only this superhero, who has proven his courage time and again, can save the world from such a grave situation. It will be a long and difficult journey, but Rayman is strong and clever, and prepared to face the challenges ahead. Each time Rayman successfully completes a challenge, he gets a piece of parchment which, when matched with all the other pieces he obtains along the way, forms the map that will show the way to Mister Dark's hideout. Once the map is pieced together, a final test will give Rayman the chance to retrieve the Magic Book of Knowledge from the evil Mister Dark, and fill his world with happiness and beauty again.